


If He Feels The Same

by camichats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Getting Together, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 20:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14144091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Harry and Draco have been studying together the entire year, so what does Draco mean when he asks Harry if he wants to be permanent study partners with him?





	If He Feels The Same

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of something I wrote for tumblr like a year ago, and ALSO a repost from when this got deleted on AO3.

Harry looked at Draco, a mixture of confusion, caution, hope, and even more confusion swirling inside of him. “You want… to study. With me. Permanently,” he said after a minute of silence.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Did I stutter, Chosen One?”

Harry glared at him reflexively for using that Merlin forsaken title, noticing the teasing glint in his eyes after a few moments. He felt dumb once he saw it because it was  _Malfoy_  after all, they had something of a routine going with how they dealt with each other, the occasional annoying title included (even if they got under Harry’s skin more than any other teasing).

Since the start of Eighth Year, they were cordial if only for the sake of reuniting the school. After a couple weeks, Harry noticed Draco’s Defense spells were weaker than they should’ve been, and he offered to help. Draco had sneered at first, pride and ego coming naturally to him, and he’d stormed off. The next day though, he’d come back and not quite apologised, admitting with no small amount of difficulty that he could use Harry’s help. In exchange, Draco said he would help Harry with Potions because ‘really, Potter, at this point it’s embarrassing.’

“I suppose it would be against all that pureblood training to stutter,” Harry said with a grin, that, no Ron, was  _not_  flirtatious.

“Precisely.” Draco continued looking at him, and Harry realised that he still hadn’t answered his question.

“Er… sure?” Weren’t they already permanent study partners? They’d been doing this for nearly the entire year, and NEWT’s were on the horizon.

Draco said nothing, just arched an eyebrow. Harry wanted to squirm under that gaze but refused to do so, as he did every time Draco looked at him like that–- which was probably upwards of twenty times a day. Harry stared right back, confident that he could last a bit longer this time, as long as he attempted to keep his thoughts away from different, more pleasurable ways Draco could make him squirm.

As Harry was lost in his thoughts, preparing himself for their usual ‘who can be the most stubborn’ stare-off, he must’ve missed something because by the time he was focused on Draco, his grey eyes were hard and closed off. “Well,” he said tersely, his posh accent more pronounced as he talked to him in a way he hadn’t since they’d been back at Hogwarts. “That answers that. Good day Potter.”

Harry watched him leave, the word wait half out before it died. He closed his mouth numbly, staring at the spot Draco had vanished, baffled.  _What the hell was that?_

Several cold looks, short uncomfortable conversations, and a Hermione Granger Explanation™ (that Harry didn’t understand) later, Harry showed up to their weekly study session to find Draco waiting at their usual table. His supplies were already out as if nothing had changed, but it was off, wrong. Draco was stiff and formal, barely looking at or addressing Harry. Eventually, he couldn’t stand it anymore and blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Draco looked up at him slowly, something calculating in his eyes that made Harry uneasy. “For what?”

Harry tried not to blanch. He’d really been hoping that Draco would accept his apology, and they could move on, having the normal, easy banter that always arose between them. Looking at Draco, he could see that this wasn’t something he could blow past without a second thought. It was clear that this wasn’t some simple ‘I’m sorry I lost my temper’ apology like they usually had. The stakes were suddenly much higher than he’d imagined, but Harry had  _no idea_  just what exactly it was that was on the line. Their study sessions? Their friendship? His heart squeezed uncomfortably in his chest at the thought.

Harry licked his lips as he tried to think. What was he sorry for? “Whatever I did to make you mad at me,” he hedged. He didn’t know what he’d done, but he did know he was sorry for it.

All the fight left Draco in an almost audible whoosh, and he was left looking sad and defeated. “You can’t help what you feel.”

“What does that m–”

“I think we’re done for today,” Draco interrupted, standing and gathering his belongings.

When it took less than ten seconds for Draco to pack everything up and Harry realised that he’d been planning his escape, he suddenly understood Draco’s behaviour and Hermione’s less than subtle hints about the true nature of their relationship. He grabbed Draco’s hand as he tried to walk away, holding it firm and standing up next to him even as Draco tugged on it. He’d watched Draco walk away once and like hell he was going to let it happen again because what if this time he actually stayed away.

“I’m sorry for being an oblivious prat,” Harry said lowly, his voice rougher than usual.

Draco turned his face to him, chin tilted up and lips slightly parted. “What are you going to do about it?”

And then Harry felt like he could fly without a broom because he was kissing Draco and it was like winning the war without any casualties. They were teasing and taunting and snogging each other and being  _them_ , and it was all because of shoddy classwork. Harry smiled against his lips, and Draco said, “Oh shut it Potter,” without even pulling away.

This was them; this was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr [@siriuslystarbucks](http://siriuslystarbucks.tumblr.com/)


End file.
